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31 January 2013

Mentally Ill Girl Gives Birth At Kaduna Bus Stop

At about 9.am yesterday, a mentally ill girl delivered a baby at the popular new barrack bus stop near the Federal Secretariat, Kaduna.
The incident brings to three the number of times mentally ill women have delivered babies at that same bus stop in recent times. The bus stop is just a stone throw from the Kawo police station and the Hassan Usman Katsina, Kaduna State House. It was gathered that the girl, who has been in that area for almost a year delivered her baby around 9.am unaided, and that it was the cry of the baby that attracted passersby. It was further gathered that shortly after she delivered, women passing by rushed to her, and used their wrappers and head-ties to cover her.
The women barred men who were passing by from getting close. An elderly woman, who works with a Federal Government’s agency at the secretariat, Lami Bulus, confirmed that was the third time a mentally ill woman was delivering at the bus stop. “This has become something else because this is the third time this type of thing is happening here. To our surprise, she delivered safely though she wanted to kill the baby afterwards.
The men impregnating these women are doing it in order to get worldly things. May God expose them because it is unfortunate,” she said. A trader in the area, urged the Kaduna State government to extend to the girl the same gesture it extended to a mentally ill woman who delivered sometime ago.
“When Bola, a mentally ill girl delivered here sometime ago, she was taken to a psychiatric hospital, and her baby was taken to the social welfare department. Bola has since recovered, and has returned to Kabba in Kogi State, her state of origin,” the trader said. She urged the state government to device means of apprehending the men who are impregnating the women.
The owner of a restaurant close to the area, Madam Lizy, said the girl was always at the bus stop. “She is always at the bus stop. She comes to me for food daily, but I suspect that whoever impregnated her did it at night. This is because I have sighted men around the bus stop at night many times,” she said.
The woman also coordinated the collection of donations for the girl. A vulganizer close to the bus stop, Jamilu Ajibola, said he has been seeing the girl at the bus stop for sometime, adding, “she walks around the area, and doesn’t fight people. She came to this place with a very big injury on her leg, but it has healed. Even yesterday(Tuesday), a day before she delivered her baby, she was dancing around and people were giving hermoney “.
After delivery, the baby was taken to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Federal Staff clinic at the secretariat. Speaking to our correspondent, matron of the clinic, Mrs. Christiana Sidi, said the baby was normal. “I was not the one that took her delivery but the baby is normal, there was no bleeding and no tear. The baby is normal, there is no abnormality, mother and baby are doing very well. We intend to call the social welfare to tell them what really happened so that they can take over the management of the baby and the mother.